Poker In The Ears

By the time you listen to this podcast, James and Joe will be in Prague for the European Poker Tour. It's their first live event since…EPT Prague in December 2019! They talk about some of the early results from the festival and preview their five-day live stream of the Main Event (starting on Saturday 12th March on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels). There's also a deep dive into Hold'em strategy on this week's episode, as Joe receives coaching from Andrew Brokos, one of the hosts of the Thinking Poker podcast. Andrew is set a near-impossible challenge: make Stapes a better poker player in 30 minutes. Finally, Superfan Jack O'Neill tries to win a #SundayMillionAnniversary ticket answering questions about 'The Mandalorian'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

It's the latest #PITE Poker Movie Monday on a Wednesday (in this case, recorded on a Thursday and released on a Friday). James and Joe finally take an in-depth look at 'The Card Counter', starring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe. It's a film that's been discussed on the podcast MANY times, as Joe served as the poker consultant during pre-production and principal photography, and, ahead of its theatrical release last year, the boys interviewed writer-director Paul Schrader. For this episode, they're joined by producer Lauren Mann. Plus, Super High Roller reviewer Sam Greenwood makes a brief return to the show, breaking down the film's main Hold'em hand. And Joe's mother gives Sight and Sound magazine a run for its money, providing top-level analysis via a series of text messages. Finally, Sveinn Dal Bjornsson from Iceland is our 'Card Counter' Superfan, competing for a #SundayMillionAnniversary ticket and some PokerStars swag. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversat

In an unexpected twist, #PITE has been named Best Podcast of 2021 at the 3rd Global Poker Awards in Las Vegas. Joe was at Aria to collect the award (and promptly misplace it) and takes great delight in making this episode a victory lap for the entire production team. The boys discuss some of the other winners at Friday's ceremony, and are joined by Veronica Brill, recipient of the Charitable Initiative Award. She explains how she earned the accolade and talks about her life pre and post 'Postlegate'. Meanwhile, two listeners provide a ruling on Joe's friendship dilemma, and James takes a jump to the left as he quizzes Wayne Gartner from Australia about 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

Joe is on the road again: after scoring tickets to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, he flew to Florida for a special NASCAR charity event, before heading to Las Vegas for the 3rd Global Poker Awards. On this week's episode, the boys are joined by Eric Danis – President of the Global Poker Index – to preview the awards and run through the nominees in the key categories. Elsewhere, Judges James and Joe provide a ruling on a tournament payout-related controversy, and Cam Travis from Ohio picks The Beatles as his specialist subject in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

After an unplanned one-week hiatus (James explains what happened), the boys return with a brief recap of Joe's latest live poker adventures and their long-awaited deep dive into recent films and TV shows. Canadian high stakes reg Sam Greenwood plays the role of Super High Roller reviewer as he talks about some of the stuff he's watched in the last few months, while James and Joe break down the Netflix movies 'The Power of the Dog' and 'Don't Look Up' and the Disney+ shows 'Hawkeye' and 'The Book of Boba Fett'. Finally, Rory Herbert – who works as a script supervisor in the film and TV industry – competes for a #SundayMillionAnniversay ticket in 'Superfan vs Stapes', answering questions about 'The Martian'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

With their deep dive into recent movies and TV shows pushed back a week, James and Joe invite poker pro turned trivia maestro Alex Jacob onto the podcast to talk poker and game shows. Alex is a WSOP and WPT finalist who won the United States Poker Championship in 2006. He later appeared as a contestant on 'Jeopardy!', winning six times and taking down the Tournament of Champions. Meanwhile, long-time #PITE listener and live stream viewer Harley Jones hopes to win a quiz of his own, answering questions about the 2004 Boston Red Sox in this week's edition of 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

The nominations for the 2021 #GlobalPokerAwards have been announced, and #PITE is in the running for Best Podcast! Joe has also been nominated for Best Broadcaster. Meanwhile the winners of the GPI Players of the Year have already been revealed, and the boys are joined on this week's episode by the best performing female player of 2021, Nadya Magnus. Nadya was a Loose Cannon on the first season of 'The PokerStars Big Game'. She shares her (bittersweet) memories of appearing on that show, and talks about what it takes to win POY and who she thinks might be next year's champion. Finally, Jason Williams from the UK picks 'American Pie' as his specialist subject in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

For their first podcast of 2022, James and Joe recap some of the poker headlines from the last few weeks, including the winner of #Dare2Stream, the amazing accomplishment of the #EPTOnline Main Event champion, the standout moments from the #WinterSeries, and the story of the trio of players / content creators who've bought a poker room in Texas. Yes, there are three guests on this week's show, as Doug Polk, Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme discuss their new business venture. They also take part in one of the most ill-conceived, poorly-executed (and entertaining) quizzes in #PITE history. Talking of quizzes, Joanne Kane from Canada is given the chance to win a #SundayMillion ticket, as she answers questions about the 1995 movie 'Casino' in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please don't forget to subscribe, and join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

James and Joe conclude their mini-series of episodes celebrating 20 years of PokerStars by talking to one of the most successful players of all time. Erik Seidel makes his first ever appearance on a poker podcast, discussing his origin story, the boom years, his dislike of playing Hold'em on TV, his depiction in 'Rounders', his pivotal role in Maria Konnikova's poker career, his cameo appearance in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', and how he stays competitive in an ever-evolving game. Meanwhile, the boys draw a line under the various activities that have accompanied #TheBig20, including the Rewind series, the $5m guaranteed Finale and the Players Awards. Finally, Chad McVean from Canada makes a return appearance, competing in 'Superfan vs Stapes' for the second time. It's a very special edition of this contest – themed around PokerStars history – with a very special prize. #PITE returns in January 2022. Please don't forget to subscribe, and please join the conversation on Discord (psta.rs/Discord).

The celebrations continue for #TheBig20, as James and Joe mark 20 years of PokerStars with a series of special episodes. After an update on the Rewind tournaments, and a preview of their Finale stream – where the winners of the Players Awards will be revealed (still time to vote, by the way, at the PokerStars Blog) – they discuss some of the celebrities who've been associated with Stars over the last two decades, and speak to a man who's played in several online charity games in recent months: Jon Hamm, the award-winning actor best known for the TV drama 'Mad Men'. Jon talks about first discovering poker and playing in home games with other actors in LA. Plus, he confirms that he does not play on PokerStars with a Don Draper avatar! Finally, Michael Park from Canada is tested on his knowledge of Korean food in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. As mentioned on the show, there is a very special Superfan segment on next week's podcast. To apply, please join the PokerStars Discord server (psta.rs/Discord). Also, please don't

James and Joe continue to celebrate #TheBig20 – the 20th anniversary of PokerStars – with a series of episodes looking back at two decades of poker history. In this podcast, they talk to pros Antonio Esfandiari and Maria Ho about the boom years and their respective careers and mainstream media appearances. Plus, they discuss the creation of two popular poker shows: 'The Big Game' (2010-11) and 'Shark Cage' (2014-15), and ask Antonio and Maria to share their memories of playing on TV. There's also a summary of the prizes awarded so far in the Big 20 Rewind series, a reminder to vote in the Big 20 Players Awards (via the PokerStars Blog), and Princeton student Andrew Tufillaro picks US history as his specialist subject in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please share your own memories of the early years of PokerStars on Discord (psta.rs/Discord). Also, please don't forget to subscribe to #PITE.

James and Joe are celebrating #TheBig20 – the 20th anniversary of PokerStars – with a series of episodes looking back at two decades of poker history. In this show, they talk about the launch of PokerStars in 2001 with one of the first people hired by founders Isai and Mark Scheinberg: poker player, podcaster, MMA fighter and former customer support head Terrence Chan. They also discuss the birth of the European Poker Tour in 2004 with the original voice of the EPT: radio and TV presenter Colin Murray. Plus, they catch up with one of the OGs of the tour: seven-time EPT finalist and serial casher Luca Pagano. Please share your own memories of the early years of PokerStars on Discord (psta.rs/Discord). While you're there, feel free to submit your Superfan application. Also, please don't forget to subscribe to #PITE.

This episode of the podcast is dedicated to #CasinoRoyale, the film in which James Bond plays poker. To celebrate the movie's 15th anniversary, James and Joe take a retrospective look at Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond, and debate whether it's the best film in the series. They also break down 'Casino Royale's Hold'em scenes with the movie's poker advisor Dr Tom Sambrook, including analysis of the (controversial) final hand, courtesy of Tom's notes from the shoot, detailing stack sizes, positions and the (never before revealed) pre-flop and flop action! Plus, 007 #PITE listeners win 007 prizes for posting their reviews of the film on Discord (psta.rs/Discord), and it's the subject of this week's Superfan quiz, as Liam Devine from the UK aims to win a tournament ticket and PokerStars merch. Please don't forget to subscribe.

Live poker (yes, it's a thing again) is the theme of this week's episode. James was recently at The Hippodrome in London for a special True Geordie event, while Joe is in Las Vegas to play some turbo tournaments, including the World Series of Poker Mini Main Event. He's in town with a few players from his home game, including actress Beth Hall, best known for her roles in 'Mad Men' and 'Mom'. She's a huge poker fan, and joins the boys to talk TV shows and card games. Plus, Joe reveals an interesting Beth-related poker accomplishment (if you're able to verify that this is a #FunFact, or prove that it's a #FakeFact, please let us know: psta.rs/Discord). Finally, Lucas Durney from the UK goes for gold – actually a #SundayMillion ticket – in an Olympics-themed edition of 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please don't forget to subscribe to #PITE.

It's a streamer special, with two members of Team Pro making guest appearances. First up, Georgina 'GJReggie' James, who's just launched the #Dare2Stream competition, followed by Tom 'Majin' Hayward who recently anchored cards-up coverage of the #BountyBuilderSeries Main Event. James and Joe also find themselves 'Running AMOQ', as they answer one of YOUR questions from Discord (psta.rs/Discord), while John Lemke – an American living in Germany – picks a terrible Marvel movie as his specialist subject in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Finally, the boys close out the show with a spoiler-filled review of the new James Bond film #NoTimeToDie. There'll be more Bond on #PITE in the coming weeks, as the podcast celebrates the 15th Anniversary of #CasinoRoyale, as well as the 20th Anniversary of PokerStars. Please don't forget to subscribe.

After discussing Phil Hellmuth’s behaviour at the World Series of Poker, James and Joe launch into a poker movie double bill. One great. One…not so great. They revisit ‘California Split’ (first reviewed on Episode 156) in the company of the film’s writer, Joseph Walsh. Then, it’s all aboard the ‘Money Plane’, easily one of the worst gambling-themed motion pictures ever made. But it gets a fair amount of airtime (pun intended), as it’s the subject of this week’s Superfan quiz, with Brian Fahy from Ireland hoping to win a couple of #SundayMillion tickets. Please join the #PITE community at psta.rs/Discord, and don’t forget to subscribe

As the World Series of Poker gets underway in Las Vegas, James and Joe are joined by #WSOP legend Norman Chad: long-time TV presenter and part-time stud player. Norm talks about being involved with the WSOP for nearly two decades, how the poker world has changed in that time, and his experience playing the $25k HORSE event at this year's series. There's more reminiscing on the podcast, as the boys tell some behind-the-scenes stories from an EPT of yesteryear. Plus, judgement is passed on a player who doesn't know the difference between trips and a set in 'Can I Get a Ruling?' and 'Ted Lasso' fan Leo O'Rourke competes for a #SundayMillion ticket in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please join the #PITE community at psta.rs/Discord, and don't forget to subscribe.

Joe has been dropping Paul Schrader's name for the better part of two years now. Finally, the writer-director of 'The Card Counter' makes an appearance on the #PITE podcast. As James says on the show, Paul is one of the filmmakers who transformed American cinema in the 1970s, writing the screenplays for Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' and 'Raging Bull', before going on to direct 'American Gigolo' and 'Cat People'. Paul talks about his latest film, and why he wanted the protagonist to be a card player. He also discusses working with Joe on making the Hold'em scenes authentic, his own experiences playing poker, the music in his movies, and his memories of filming 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters' and the 'Exorcist' prequel. 'Mishima' is actually this week's Superfan subject, with Marius Vitas from London hoping to win #SundayMillion tickets and PokerStars merch. Join the conversation at psta.rs/Discord, and please don't forget to subscribe.

James and Joe run through some recent developments in the poker world, including the sighting of an EPT champion at the US Open Tennis final and the signing of Benjamin 'bencb789' Rolle to the Team Pro roster. Ben is the guest on this week's podcast, and talks about his career as a player and coach, what makes a good poker teacher (and student), and how he tried and failed to become a PokerStars ambassador several years ago! Following their interview with Ben, the boys respond to a question on Discord, and go behind-the-scenes on the recent #WCOOP streams, revealing how they prepare for a broadcast and what happens in the minutes/hours leading up to the stream going live. Finally, Doyle Brunson's classic poker strategy book 'Super/System' is the subject of this week's Superfan quiz, with Demetrios Lambros from Atlanta, Georgia competing for prizes. You can apply to be on the show by joining the #PITE community at psta.rs/Discord. Also, please subscribe.

With #WCOOP2021 now in the rear view mirror, James and Joe enlist Howard Swains from the PokerStars Blog to provide a full recap of the series, summarise the headline stats and highlight a few incredible achievements. There's also the chance to hear from two members of Team Pro, as Benjamin 'Spraggy' Spragg and Parker 'tonkaaaa' Talbot celebrate their WCOOP wins. Elsewhere, Joe talks about attending various screenings of 'The Card Counter' and handling social media reaction to the movie. Finally, Aaron Knapp from southern California picks 'Mallrats' as his specialist subject in 'Superfan vs Stapes'. Please join the #PITE community at psta.rs/Discord, and don't forget to subscribe.